Conveyer



Nov. 13 1923. 11,473,8Q8

|. L. BRETZFELDER CONVEYE R Filed Aug. 29 1921 Patented Nov. 13, I923,

IRA L. BRETZFELDER, OF ST. LOUIS,

IEISSOUEI, ASSIGNOR TO ALVEY MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CON VEYER.

Application filed August 29, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA L. BRETZFELDER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Conveyors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates principally to conveyers of the inclined elevator type wherein pushing or propelling devices engage packages that are fed to the receiving end of an inclined way and force said packages up said way to the discharge end thereof; and it relates particularly to such pushing or propelling devices.

One of the principal requirements for the proper propulsion of packages along an inclined Way is that the packages shall be fed to the receiving end thereof in such position as to permit the package engaging elements to bear against the rear ends of the packages. In actual practice, notwithstanding the use of various devices for securing a proper positioning of the packages on the receiving end of the way, packages are frequently deposited upon the way in a position which permits the package propelling elements to bear against the under sides of the packages. In such event, said packages are frequently dragged partway up the conveyer and slide: backwards off the propelling means and strike the succeeding package, thus damaging both packages and the contents thereof. In handling packages having cleats, hoops or other projections there is a further difficulty that, even though the propelling devices bear against the rearends of the packages they tend to catch under the cleats or hoops and lift the rear ends of the packages thereby causing said packages to be elevated in a tilted position.

The principalobject of the present invention is provide a simple and efficient pusl1er bar construction that will overcome the disadvantages hereinbefore mentioned. Another object is to eliminate devices for preventing the propelling devices from bearing against the undersides of the paclauges thereby saving the cost of such devices.

The invention consists principally in providing the pusher-bars with freely rotatable package engaging elements, whereby said pusher-bars upon striking the undersides of the packages are adapted to travel from beneath said packages and readily free them- Serial No. &96,288.

selves therefrom instead of propelling the same along the bed of the elevator and are also adapted to move into engagement with the rear ends of packages having hoops or cleats without tilting the same. The invention further consists in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of the specification, and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

Fig. l is a vertical central longitudinal section through the adjacent end portions of a gravity conveyer and an inclined elevator provided with pusher-bars embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section through the elevator on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a portion of a pusher-bar in the region of a package engaging element, which is shown in section; and

Fig. 4: is a cross-section through the parts shown in Fig. 3 on the line Irl thereof.

The conveying device shown in the accompanying drawings comprises a gravity conveyer A and an inclined power-driven elevator B, whose receiving end is arranged adjacent to the delivery end of said gravity conveyer and is suitably connected therewith.

The gravity conveyer A comprises spaced side rails 5 of angle section having a bed of rollers 6 disposed crosswise thereof whose ends are rotatably supported in said side rails. The endmost roller 7 of the feeding conveyer A is located beyond the ends of the side rails 5 and has its ends journaled in brackets 8-, which are riveted to the upper surfaces of supporting plates 9 at one end thereof. These plates extend beneath the outwardly projecting horizontal flanges of the side rails 5 and are adjustably secured thereto by means of bolts 10 whereby, the endmost roller 7 is adapted to be adjusted towards and away from the receiving end of the elevator.

The inclined elevator or power conveyer B comprises a bed or way in the form of a plate 12 having a horizontal receiving por tion and an inclined portion adapted to extend to an upper floor or level (not shown). The way is suitably supported by a frame comprisin standards 13. Running between upper and lower pairs of angles 14 and 15,

which form part of the elevator frame and extend longitudinally thereof on opposite sides .of the bed, are the upper and lower stretches of a pair of endless conveyer chains 16. The pairs of angles lt and lo serve as guides and supports for the upper and lower stretches of the endless chains 16 which run therebetween.

The sprocket chains 16 pass around idler sprocket wheels 17, which are fixed to the opposite ends of a transverse shaft 18 located beneath the way adjacent to the receiving end thereof." The shaft 18 has its ends journaled in bearing blocks 19, which are slidably supported between vertically spaced horizontally disposed angles 20 secured to the vertical members of the frame. The slide blocks 19 may be adjusted longitudinally of the frame, to tighten or loosen the sprocket chains 16, by means of horizontally disposed screws 21, which are connected to said slide-blocks. The screws 21 work in nuts 22 located on opposite sides of a vertically disposed angle member of the elevator frame and are provided with hand wheels 23 to facilitate turning ther'eof. At the upper end of the elevator the chains 16 pass over power driven sprocket wheels (not shown).

The chains 16 carry pushing or propelling devices in the form of spaced pusher-bars 24, which are disposed crosswise of the way and have their ends connected to said chains. These pusher-bars move with the chains, the pusher-bars passing above and below the way and upwardly around the receiving end thereof, the spacing of the bars depending upon the size of the article to be conveyed.

Fixed to the sprocket shaft 18 are corrugated feed rolls 27. These rolls are spaced apart on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the bed with their outer faces disposed substantially flush with the said edges thereof. The receiving end of the bed has a centrally disposed portion 28 of reduced width which extends between the feed rolls 27 and is formed at its outer end with a downwardly curved lip 29, which terminates short of the path of the upwardly moving pusher-bars, to enable said bars to clear the same. The ends of the wide portion of the bed on opposite sides of the narrow extension 28 thereof are also formed with downward lycurved lip portions 30 which terminate short of the corrugated surfaces of the feed rolls 27.

Each of the pusher-bars 2% has a series of longitudinally spaced packages engaging elements C rotatably mounted thereon. Each of these package engaging elements is in the form of a radial ball-bearing which comprises an outer bearing collar or ring 31 ofangular section which encircles an inner bearing sleeve 32 of a reversed angular section. The inner bearing sleeve 32 is mounted on the pusher-bar and cooperates with the outer bearing collar-.31 to form a com pletely enclosed annular race-way in which he bearing balls 33 are retained. a The rotatably mounted package engaging elements of the pusher-bars are located between washers 3a. These washers are held in position against the opposite faces of said elements by means of cotter-pins 85,which extendthrough transverse holes in the pusher bars. By this arrangement, movement of the package engaging elements longitudinally of the pusher-bars is prevented and the desired spacing of said elements is maintained.

l lith the arrangement described, the rolling contact of the freely'rotatable package engaging elements against the under sides of packages reduces the friction between the engaged parts and enables the pusher-bars to pass from beneath the packages instead of propelling the same along the way. This pusher-bar construction also permits the pusher-bars to pass from beneath packages having cleats, hoops or similar projections; and, in the event that the upwardly moving. pusher-bars bear against the rear ends of such packages, the freely rotatably package engaging elements tend to ride over the projections, thereby preventing the engaged packages from being lifted and forced along the bed in a tilted position. a

The invention admits of considerable modification without departing from the invention; therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the exactform of elevator or the form of ball-bearing shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. In a conveyer having a pusher-bar having a package engaging device mounted thereon, said package engaging device comprising an inner bearing member mounted on said pusherbar, an outer bearing member encircling saidinne'r bearing member, anti-friction members disposed between said bearing members, and means detachably secured to said pusher-bar on opposite sides of said package engaging device to prevent movement thereof longitudinally of said pusher-bar.

2. In a conveyer having a pusher-bar having a package engaging device mounted thereon, said package engaging device comprising an inner bearing member mounted on said pusher-bar, an outer bearing member encircling said inner bearing member, anti-friction members disposed between said bearing members, annular plates on opposite sides of said bearing members, and means detachably secured to said pusher-bar adjacent to said annular plates for preventing movement of said package engaging device longitudinally' of said pusher-bar.

3. In a conveyer having a pusher-bar having a package engaging device mounted thereon, said package engaging device comprising an annular inner bearing mem ber of angular section mounted on said pusher-bar, an annular outer bearing member of reverse angular section encircling said inner bearing member, anti-friction bearing members disposed between said 1e bearing members, annular plates disposed on each side of said bearing members, and pins removably secured to said pusher-bar adjacent to said annular plates for pre venting movement of said package engaging device longitudinally of said pusherbar.

Signed at St. Louis, Missouri, this 22nd of August, 1921.

IRA L. BRETZFELDER. 

